The Scar and the Shield
by Nikki0Chan
Summary: After tragedy strikes, Bella is left with nothing but an endless void of hurt. Her brother thinks it will do her some good to move with him to Forks Washington. It is the hope of all hopes that a change is scenery will bring back there once bright and cheerful Bella. Rated M for language and dark themes. Reposted due to an error
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**

I don't own any of the twilight characters

Please bare with me, it has been quite some time since i've written a story.

Prologue

8 months ago, there lived a girl who went by the name of Rhayne Willson. She was the most energetic and beautiful person you could have ever met. Unfortunately, tragedy has a way of crawling into your life and screwing things up. At the age of twenty-two, Rhayne lost her parents in a car accident. On the night of October 16th, 2017 Rhayne made a phone call to her best friend. Little did this friend know, it would turn her world upside down.

Bella sat on her bed reading a book when she heard her phone buzzing. Looking at the screen, she smiled and answered.

"Ray-ray! Hey girl. What's up?"

On the other end, there was only silence.

"Ray? What's going on? Are you alright?" When there was no reply, Bella looked at her phone to make sure the call had not dropped.

"Rhayne, you're kinda freaking me out. What's wrong?"

Bella heard in the faintest of whispers, "I'm sorry, but I can't anymore." Then the call ended.

"R-Rhayne? RHAYNE!" Bella put her phone down then jumped off of her bed.

Running out of her bedroom and into the kitchen she cried out, "Mom!" but received no answer.

Without putting on shoes Bella ran out the door down the street to Rhayne's house. Upon reaching the front door she tried to open it, but it was locked. Using her fists she hit the door. "Rhayne! Please open this door! Answer me Rhayne!"

Bella kept hitting the door, adrenaline coursing through her body. All she wanted was for Rhayne to open the door, tell her to stop making such a scene. Getting ever more agitated, Bella kicked the door once, twice, then a third time but the door wouldn't budge. Gasping for breath, she took a few steps back and started pulling at her hair, trying to think. She remembered there was a black rock with a hidden key. Looking around her she saw the rock. Jumping off the porch he snatched up the rock and prayed that the key was inside. Letting out a sigh of relief she grabbed the key and made quick work of unlocking the door. Running into the house and up the stairs Bella started shaking in fear of what she might find. She prayed that her friend was okay. That she was just playing a prank.

When Bella reached her friends bedroom door she called out for her one more time in a trembling whisper, "Rhayne?" She slowly opened the door and surveyed the room. There, hanging from the ceiling, was Rhayne. Her face was ghostly white. Bella cried out in agony, rushing to her friend.

"Rhayne? Why?" Sobs wracked Bella's body.

Still trembling, Bella struggled to get her friend down. Using a pair of scissors she knew were in her friend's drawer, she cut through the rope. When Rhayne was free, the dead weight was too much for Peyton to hold and they collapsed to the ground. Grunting, Peyton rolled Rhayne to the floor and stood up. Looking around the room she found Rhayne's cell phone. With shaking fingers, she called 9-1-1.

"9-1-1, what is your emergency?"

"M-my friend, she's…she hung herself."

"Can you tell me your name sweet heart?"

"Bella, Bella Swan."

"Alright Bella, where are you now?"

"I'm standing in her bedroom."

"Can you tell me the address?"

"Um, 619 S. bend street, Oakdale Indiana"

"I have an ambulance on the way Bella. Is your friend still breathing?

Sobbing, Bella answered. "No! What can I do?"

"I want you to start CPR. Do you know how to do that?"

"I've been trained but I've never actually had to do it on anyone."

"Alright Bella, I want you to put me on speaker then put the phone down."

Rushing, Bella did what she was told then knelt down by Rhayne.

"Okay, you're on speaker."

"Is your friend lying on her back?"

"Yes." Bella confirmed.

"Good, I want you to give her 30 compressions, then 2 breaths. Do you remember that in your training?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Start CPR. The medical team should be there soon. I will stay on the line until they get there."

With determination, Bella put one hand over the other and started chest compressions.

**5 minutes later**

"I don't know how much longer I can keep this up!" Bella cried.

"I'm so sorry Bella, help will be there shortly. You should be able to hear the sirens any minute now. There was a team not too far from your location."

In the distance she could hear the ambulance "I can hear the sirens!"

"I'm glad; I'm going to let you go now alright? You will be just fine, hang in there sweety."

When the team arrived, they made quick work of finding Bella and Rhayne. They got the girls into the ambulance and drove quickly to St. Rose Memorial Hospital. Upon arriving they called Bella's mom to let her know what had happened.

Despite Bella's struggle to save Rhayne, her friend died not to long after reaching the Hospital. The funeral took place on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Bella was there, bent over crying on her grave. She felt like all the happiness had been drained away. A dark emptiness began to grow inside her. She could never let this happen again. Slowly, Bella stood up and wiped away her tears. Never again, would she allow these feelings to consume her.


	2. Chapter 2

Happiness, such a simple word. When you ask someone what brings them happiness they will often look in the distance and smile. I can't remember the last time I was able to give genuine smile. I can't remember the last time I felt happy. All I can feel now is emptiness. The feeling of being alone to walk through a meadow in the dead of winter, all the grass frail and yellow and the bushes bare and their twigs snapping at the lightest of touch. No sign of life to be seen or heard.

I find myself thinking this while collapsing to the ground. Violent, silent sobs shake my whole being. My grip on reality slowly fading. I feel like I'm being devoured by darkness. My lungs scream in protest as I hyperventilate, begging for oxygen. I hear a loud banging but can't get my brain to register what would make such a noise. My cheeks feel wet. I reach with my left hand to touch my face, oh, just tears. The banging gets louder and I start hearing muffled voices.

"Bella?" There is a voice but I can't make out who it is.

"Oh my God, Jake! Get my phone and bring it to me now!"

Someone drops to their knees in front of me and gently tilts my face to look at them. It's my mom. Her eyes wide with fear and unshed tears. She wraps her arms around me in a tight hug.

"Mom, here's the pho…" I look over my mother's shoulder and see my older brother standing in the doorway. My vision is starting to get blurry and a loud ringing assaults my ears.

"Jake, I need you to call 911. Tell them your sister in having a panic attack and is on the verge of collapsing."

There was a pause, "Don't just stand there Jake, go!"

The last thing I hear is my brother saying an ambulance is on the way before the darkness consumes me.

I was kept in the hospital for three days. After I passed out the ambulance showed up wasted no time strapping me to a gurney and rushed me to St. Rose memorial hospital. When I finally woke up, my mother informed me that I had been out of it for 36. She looked exhausted. There were dark circles under her blood shot eyes and multiple coffee cups placed on the night stand. The doctor ran multiple tests on my heart and brain, when nothing was found out of the ordinary I was released to go home. Where I am now, sitting on my bed with an opened coloring book and a box of colored pencils. Down the hall I can hear my brother and my parents getting into a heated argument. From what I've overheard so far, my brother wants me to come home with him, back to Forks Washington. He says I need to get away for a while and he knows a therapist whom, should I be willing, would be happy to see me. My dad sounds all for it, he's confused and doesn't know what to do for me. My mom keeps arguing that I might get worse, that when (not if) I have another episode she can help me through it and take care of me. I agreed with Jake though. I mean, come on. What 23 year old wants their mother hovering over them, waiting for something bad to happen? For the first time, in a long time, I actually felt excited for something.

I just finished my picture when I felt someone staring at me. Looking at the door way I saw my dad and Jake standing there watching me.

"What?" I asked

Jake scoffed, "Yeah, like you haven't been eaves dropping the whole time."

"What do you say kiddo?" Dad walked over and sat at the end of the bed. He grabbed my hand and squeezed.

"Well…" I started "I like the idea of staying with Jake. But what if mom is right and I have another episode? I mean, come on Jake, do you really want to be responsible for this mess?" I asked pointing to myself.

Jake shrugged "You're my little sister, if it happens it happens. But don't start packing just yet. I have some terms you must agree to before you make a decision." He handed me a piece of paper with the following written on it.

You have to attend counseling for the duration of your stay. (I can try to do that)

You have to obtain a part time job, at least 20 hours a week. (Seriously?)

Find a hobby so you aren't sitting at home alone all the time.

I looked up at Jake and lifted my brows. "You can't be serious?"

He crossed his arms, "I am actually. In fact I took the liberty of setting up a meet and greet with a counselor I know. She's amazing and I really think she can help you."

"What about this whole job and hobby thing?"

"Not negotiable."

Sigh, "You say it like it's the simplest thing in the world."

Jake chuckled, "Don't worry, I will help you out."

I roll my eyes; Jake can be such a simpleton at times. "If I agree to your terms, then I can start packing right?"

Jake smiles, "Absolutely."

I rolled of my bed and grabbed my large duffle bag from underneath. I managed to shove in all my under garments and most of my favorite shirts and pants. I would have to go shopping for nicer clothes. In a smaller bag I put my pajamas and sweatshirts.

With my bags packed and my emotions in check, well… for the time being, I get in bed and pray that sleep takes me fast.

 _Any constructive feed back is appreciated, i'm a bit of practice when it comes to writing._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer**_

 _I don't own any of the twilight characters._

 _Welcome to Chapter 2. Hopefully you enjoy it_

The next morning is spent with Jake and I cramming my stuff into the back of his truck. I'm not quite sure how he got that damn thing here in the first place. The poor thing looked ancient, what with all the rust spots.

"Jake, are you sure this beast is going to be able to make the trip?" I ask picking off a piece of red paint.

"How dare you! This beauty can handle anything." He stops and hugs the hood, "Isn't that right Betty?"

I scoffed, "Betty? You named your truck?"

Jake gives me a dirty look and stomps his way back into the house, mumbling all way.

I was starting to get nervous. My stomach was doing flips and my heart was starting to pound. Was this really a good idea? What if something happened with Mom or Dad and they needed me around. What if the truck really did break down on the way there? What if it's all too much for me to handle?

I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder, "You'll be just fine Bella."

Looking up I give my dad a small smile. "Thanks dad."

I turn and give my dad a hug. He wraps his strong arms around me and squeezes tight.

"We're only a phone call away."

I nod my head in his chest, "I know."

I stay in his arms for just a few moments longer and step away, wiping my eyes. Stupid tears anyway.

He gives my head a pat and then goes back inside. Jake says good bye to our parents and I give my mom a hug. She tells me she loves me and tells Jake to make sure he texts her when we make it to his place. With a final wave, I jump into the passenger side of his truck. With my phone in hand and ear buds in, I turn on spotify and turn on my Chill playlist.

"You ready Bells?" Jake asks, looking slightly concerned.

I give him a curt nod and turn away to look out the window.

 _6 hrs into the trip_

My butt was going numb, Jake was blasting bad rap on the radio, I was hungry, and had to pee.

I took my ear buds out and turned to my brother, "Jake…"

No answer…

"Jake." I say a bit louder.

Not even a glance. I huff and turn off the radio.

"Hey!" Jake looked at me and saw my face, I was on the verge of punching him.

"What is the purpose of your face?" He said, quoting one of our favorite movies.

"Why didn't you tell me the drive was going to take so long!? My butt is numb, my stomach is about to eat itself, and I need to pee!"

He had the nerve to look sheepish. "Sorry, I'm not use to passengers. We'll stop at the next exit, about 10 miles ahead, to get some food. And you already knew the drive there is 36 hours."

I huffed, "I should have boarded a plane."

Jake laughed and turned the radio back up. I turned away to stare out the window again. I had to cross my legs and squeeze so I wouldn't pee my pants.

After what felt like an eternity, Jake finally got off the expressway and into a McDonalds parking lot. I bolted out of the truck and ran to the bathroom. I barely made it time. I felt so relieved, I could've cried. I sat there on the toilet for a few moments, scrolling through Facebook. Jake had taken a picture in front of McDonalds and posted it on his page. I liked it then turned the screen off. I pulled my pants up and walked out of the stall towards the sink to wash my hands. Looking in the mirror I catch a glimpse of my face. I look tired, dark circles under my eyes make it look like a racoon. My skin is pale due to the lack of sun and my hair is a bit greasy and put up in a messy bun. With a heavy sigh I finish washing my hands and make my way out to order food. Jake is so buying my food.

"Jeesh, took you long enough." Jake said flicking my forehead.

"Jerk." I say and rub my forehead.

"What do you want to eat? I'll buy." He said looking at the menu.

"Um, I'll have a 10 piece with sweet and sour sauce, a small fry, and a caramel frappe," I look around and see a good spot to sit. "I'm going to go pick us a spot."

He hums in acknowledgment and waves me off.

I walked to the back and claimed a booth next to the window. I took my phone out and opened up candy crush. Don't judge, it passes time. A few minutes later Jake took a seat across from me and put our tray of food on the table.

"You doing okay?" He asks.

Am I? I think so, and I tell him as such. He just grunts and takes a huge bite of his burger.

"Hrg do yrr full a boat diving?" Jake attempted to ask a question with his mouth full.

I looked at him in disgust, "Why don't you try that again, only this time without a mouth full of food."

He swallowed, took a drink and asked again, "How do you feel about driving? Just for a few hours, so I can try and sleep." He gave me his puppy dog face.

I sighed heavily, "Alright, but my sense of direction is god awful, so if we get lost don't say I didn't warn you."

"If you get us lost on a road that only goes straight, I think I would be impressed."

We finished our meals in silence, went to the bathroom one more time and got back into his truck, only me in the driver's seat this time. I had to adjust the seat so I could reach the pedals, Mr. Long legs was already laying back with his eyes shut and ear buds in. I put the AUX chord in my phone and searched spotify for my top 100 list. With Blink-182's Home is Such A Lonely Place playing in the back ground, I got us successfully back on the expressway.

 _7hrs Later_

It had been a long time since I had been on a road trip. Time was moving by at a decent pace, and I wasn't getting horribly bored. The last road trip I had was with Rhayne. Thinking about her made my stomach and chest hurt. She loved long road trips. We went to Florida the summer after high school graduation. I smiled, remembering getting to the hotel and us jumping on the bed, pillows in hand and hitting each other with them.

All of a sudden I felt like I couldn't breathe. My chest was too tight and tears were falling freely. I quickly pulled over to the shoulder of the expressway. I sat there with trembling shoulders, and a nasty feeling sitting in my stomach. I hated this! With trembling hands and blurry vision, I searched through my playlists to find the one I named Calm. I pressed play, the song Beautiful Creatures by Illenium came on. I sat back in my seat and just concentrated on the words, the harmony of the song.

When the song was over, I was finally calm enough to get back on the expressway. I chanced a glance over at Jake, he was still sound asleep. Good, the last thing I needed was him hovering all over me. I looked at the clock on the dashboard, it was now midnight. I could drive for another hour or two and then wake up Jake so we could switch.

About a half hour later I pulled into a rest stop so I could stretch my legs and use the restroom. I left the truck running so Jake could stay asleep. I opened up the door and jumped out of the truck, my legs almost collapsing underneath me. I stretched out my arms and legs then walked into the building to relieve my screaming bladder.

With that done, I made my way back to the truck. For the most part the place was empty of people. Only a few cars were parked. One of which was rocking back and forth, gross. Some people just had no shame. There was an older couple out with their dog, and a really big guy leaning against his truck smoking a cig. He saw me looking at him and waved. Blushing, I waved back and quickly walked back to Jakes truck.

I drove until two in the morning. I got off the expressway and pulled into a speedway to get gas and wake up Jake so he could take a turn driving. I went inside, got a coffee, and paid for gas. Getting back to the truck, I opened Jakes door and put the coffee in the cup holder next to him. Walking back around I unscrewed the gas cap and put the nozzle in, flicked the switch to let it flow without me holding it and leaned against the truck. I closed my eyes, and heard another truck pull into the pump next to us.

"Hey stranger."

I jumped and opened my eyes. It was the guy I saw at the rest stop. He was even bigger up close.

"Um, hi." I said quietly. Was he following us?

"Where you guys headed? Not going to lie, I made you my driving buddy all the way here." He said a bit sheepishly.

So he was following us. Creep!

"Emmett, leave that poor girl alone!" I heard a feminine voice call out from the truck.

"Awe, come on Rosy! I'm just trying to be nice." He said rubbing the back of his head.

I heard the women snort, "If by being nice you mean creeping her out, then yes, you are doing an excellent job."

The guy named Emmett frowned. "Am I? Creeping you out I mean?"

"Well…kinda." I said honestly. The pumped clicked signaling it was done pumping. I grabbed it and put it back.

"I apologize. My Fiancé and I are on our way to Forks. My parents live there and it's been a while since we've visited." He explained while finishing filling up his truck.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Oh, we are too. My brother lives there and I decided to stay with him for a while."

Emmett gave a big grin. "Well, maybe we will run into each other again."

I shrugged, "Maybe."

With that the couple took off back onto the expressway. I made my way back to Jakes door to wake him up.

"Wake up sleepy head, it's your turn to drive." I said and shook his shoulders.

"Mmmm, five more minutes." He said batting away my hands.

I huffed, "No, you've been sleeping for long enough. Get up, I got you coffee."

He perked right up and the mention of coffee. "With vanilla/caramel creamer and sugar?"

"But of course." I said.

Without bothering getting out of the vehicle he slid over to the driver's seat, almost spilling said coffee.

"Anything happen while I was asleep? We aren't lost are we?" He asked looking around.

"No, we just got off the expressway to get gas, thank you very much."

He fake wiped the sweat off his brow, "Phew, and here I thought we were stranded."

"Shut up and drive." I said and punched his arm.

He laughed, put the truck in gear and made his way back to the expressway. It didn't take long before sleep took over.

 _Bella….Bella….BELLA!_

I jolted awake. "What?!" I looked over at Jake.

"We're almost there." He said innocently.

"What? How long was I asleep?" I looked at the clock, it was 2pm. Shit, I was asleep for twelve hours?

Jake laughed, "Did you know you snore when you're asleep?"

"What, I do not!" I argued.

He laughed even harder, "Oh yes you do. I even recorded it and posted it to my snap chat story."

I felt my face turn red. "Why you…you…you jerk!"

He just chuckled, "Anyway, I'm tired and hungry. There's a subway not too far away. Want to get a bite and switch again?"

I crossed my arms and huffed, "I supposed, but you're buying again."

He ruffled my hair, "whatever you say little sis."

"Humph."

Once we got to subway he dashed to the bathroom and I did too. Once we were done we ordered our subs, both BLT's. Instead of eating inside, we got it to go and got back into the truck.

"How long do you want to sleep?" I asked making my back to the expressway.

"I don't know, at least a few hours. We only have about 9 hours left before we make it to my place.

"Thank God." I sighed.

"Just imagine doing this trip alone." He said.

"No thanks, I'm good."

He chuckled and made himself comfortable in his seat. It didn't take long before he passed out.

With a sigh I concentrated on the road. We were almost there.

I had driven as far as Tacoma when things were starting to confuse me. We were still on the expressway but there were so many twists and turns now, and forest on either side of us. At the next exit I pulled over so Jake could drive the rest of the way.

"Jake, wake up. I think I'm lost." I lied.

"What?!" he jumped right up. "Shit Bella. Are we really?"

I smiled, "Nope, but unless you want us to be, you should drive the rest of the way."

He rested his hand over his heart, "Don't scare me like that."

"Shut it you big baby." I said shoving him towards the driver's seat.

"Easy women!" he yelped and crawled over the seat to drive.

With only 3 hrs left, I got comfortable. "I'm going to try and sleep again. Wake me up when we get there." I tell Jake.

"Yeah, yeah." He mumbled.

With The Call by Regina Spektor playing in my ears, I quickly fell asleep.

 _3 hrs later_

It felt like I had just fallen asleep when someone started calling my name, and shaking my shoulders.

"Bella, wake up. We're here."

I slowly opened my eyes, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had never been to his place before. Looking around the first thing I saw was forest. It was all greens and browns. Next I saw a cute house nestled in the trees. It was more of a cabin I guess. It had a wrap around deck with rocking chairs out front and a dog house.

"You have a dog?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's at a friend's house right now though." He explained.

I continued looking around. It looked like there was a back yard with fence around it. There was a chimney on the roof and what looked like moss growing on the shingles.

"It's cute." I said.

"Thanks, believe it or not, I built this place."

I was taken aback. "Really?"

"Yeah, with some help from friends." He explained.

"How long did that take?"

"About eight months."

"Where did you stay while working on the house?"

He smiled, "With Rebekka."

Whoa, whoa, whoa, "Who's Rebekka?"

"A good friend, Ms. Nosey." He said and flicked my forehead.

I sighed and rubbed my abused forehead. "Whatever you say."

"Come on, let's get inside." He said and jumped out of the truck. He grabbed my bags first and led the way to the house.

"Can you grab the keys out of my pocket?"

"Which pocket?"

"They're in the left one."

I reached in and grabbed the keys. "Which one is it?" He had multiple keys on the ring.

"It should be the wolf one."

I looked for said key, finding it I put it in the door and turned the key. The door unlocked, I turned the handle and opened it. I was hit with the smell of wood and what smelled like an apple candle. The inside was actually spacious. When you walked in, the living room was right there, he had a couch, a recliner, a mounted flat screen and an Xbox on the entertainment center. Behind the living room was stairs that lead to the next floor. On the right was the dining room. He had a small wooden table that could sit 4 people and matching wooden chairs. I ventured in a bit farther and saw the kitchen. It had a small stove and a fridge. He had a dishwashing machine and the sink overlooked the back yard. Cupboards lined the walls around the kitchen.

"The bedrooms are upstairs. Wanna check out your new room." He asked.

I smiled, "Sure, let's go."

With Jake still carrying my bag, I took the stairs by two's. I waited for him to reach me, laughing when I saw him huffing and puffing.

"Laugh it up chuckles. Let's see you carry this monstrosity of a big up those stairs."

"Nah, I'm good." I said still chuckling.

He sighed, "Your room is down that hall is the last room on the left."

I walked quickly to said door and opened it up. The room was small but spacious. There was a full sized bed and a wooden dresser. Walking in I noticed the bay window, a perfect spot to read. I checked out the closet, there would be enough room for my clothes and then some. There was a purple wool rug on the wooden floor.

Smiling, I turned to Jake, "It's perfect."

Jake walked over and enveloped me into a big hug, "Welcome to your new home Bella."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer**_

 _I don't own any of the twilight characters_

 _Thank you to all who have taken the time to read thus far_

 _Here is the next chapter, enjoy_

Ch3

The first couple days of me living with Jake was an adjustment. The first morning I walked downstairs only to see my brother in a pair of boxers sporting a hard on. I screamed and ran back upstairs. He now makes sure to put either gym shorts on or a pair of sweat pants. One morning I was in the bathroom for too long, or so he says. He had to relieve his bladder outside in the woods. I had gotten used to my new bedroom fairly quickly, the only thing that bothered me still was the noises of the house, or the rain hitting the house, and it rained frequently here.

I woke up Friday morning to the smell of coffee and bacon. I quickly went to the bathroom down the hall and then made my way downstairs. Jake was in the kitchen standing in front of the stove, you could hear the bacon sizzling and popping.

"G'morning." I mumble.

Jake looks over his shoulder in my direction and smiles, "Morning sleepy head."

I make my way over to the table and sit. "Do I get to have some of that?" I asked pointing to the stove.

He sighed, "I suppose I could spare of few pieces."

"How generous of you."

"I know right?" He said while grabbing a plate and paper towel. He placed all the bacon on the plate and patted it with the paper towel to get some of the grease off.

"You want some coffee?" He asked.

"Yes please."

Jake opens a cupboard and takes out a mug, "Do you like cream and sugar in your coffee?"

"Yeah, not as much as you though."

"So only one heaper of sugar and 3 creamers?"

I giggled, "Yeah that should be good."

With our coffees made, he brought everything to the table. I grabbed my mug and took a sip, mmmm, delicious. I took a piece of bacon and nibbled on it. Jake sat down next to me letting out a loud grunt and took a big gulp of his coffee. I started to smell something funky after he sat down. I took a better look at him. He was wearing gym shorts and a long sleeve shirt that was soaked in places with sweat.

"Oh God Jake, you stink!" I said plugging my nose and wafting the air in front of me.

"Well I better be, after the workout I just had." He said and then proceeded to sniff his pits. He wrinkled his face, "Yeah, yeah I defiantly have a man stink about me."

I nearly spit out my coffee, I swallowed quickly, "Man stink?"

"Well, I'm a man aren't I?"

I snickered. "Sure, whatever you say."

"Damn straight."

We sat in silence for a bit, him eating away at the bacon and me nibbling on a few more pieces.

"You should join me sometime." Jake said quietly.

"Join you in what?" I asked looking at him.

"In a work out. It would be good for you. Get your scrawny ass looking fine as hell." He said and then laughed.

I sighed, "You and I both know that wouldn't end well. I'm no more coordinated then a new born giraffe."

That just made him laugh harder. He even smacked the table while laughing. I huffed and took my now empty mug to the sink. After rinsing it out, I put it in the dish washer.

I turned around and saw Jake wiping tears from his eyes, his laughing had subsided to a here and there chuckle. "You done now?"

Jake nodded, "Yeah, oh Bella…You're too funny sometimes."

"Whatever."

"I'm still serious though. Think of it this way, your coordination can't get much worse, and with exercise it would only improve. I have a big shed in the back yard with my workout equipment in it. I usually go for a run in the morning and then do resistance training in the shed."

I shook my head, "I don't know."

"Oh come on, it would be a fun brother/sister bonding experience." he pleaded with his big brown eyes.

"Ugh, fine." I said giving up.

He gave me a big grin, "Cool. We can start you out Monday morning. I'll let you enjoy your weekend."

I put a hand over my heart, "Oh Jakey! How nice of you to think of my enjoyment." I said sarcastically.

"I know, I'm the best aren't I." He said with a smug grin.

I rolled my eyes and snatched up the last piece of bacon and shoved it in my mouth.

"Hey!" He shouted.

I stuck my tongue out at him and went to the living room. Sitting down, I saw his Xbox controller on the coffee table.

"Jake!" I yelled.

"What?!" he yelled back from the kitchen.

"Can I play on your Xbox?!" I yelled looking towards the dining room.

I saw Jake take long strides to the living room, "I'm sorry, did my ears deceive me? I thought I just heard my sister ask if she could play video games."

With a heavy sigh and an eye roll I responded, "Jake, don't be an ass. Can I play or not?"

"Sure, do you know how to?"

"Jesus Christ Jake, yes." I was getting irritated with his presence.

"Okay, okay. Hey, I'm going to shower and then I have to leave for a bit. I gotta go get my pup today."

I perked up, "Yay! I finally get to meet him."

"Her." He corrected.

"Whatever. Hurry up! I want to see her!" I said shooing him towards the bathroom.

"Alright already." He said and disappeared upstairs.

After a few minutes he came back down with a new outfit and his black hair still dripping wet. He grabbed his key off the hook and paused in the door way, "I will be gone for a few hours. I'll try to be back around dinner time. Oh, and since you ate my bacon you have to make dinner. Bye!"

"What?!" I exclaimed as the door slammed.

What a jerk. I snatched up the remote and turned on the TV. I pressed the home button to turn the controller and system on. While waiting for everything to load up, I went upstairs and changed into a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. On my way out I grabbed a sweatshirt. When I got back to the couch everything had loaded. I quickly found my way to his games to see what he had. _Minecraft, Skyrim, Destiny, Halo,_ and a few more. The only one I was familiar with was Minecraft so I clicked on it. Looking around I found Jakes headset. I got up, grabbed it and plugged it in the controller. Once the game loaded up I made a new survival world. Cause what's the point in doing creative?

I started out clearing trees, I was forming an idea to make a replica of Jakes house in the forest. I didn't notice right away but I finally caught a glimpse of Jakes gamer tag, WolfxMan91. Could be worse I suppose.

I was making good progress on the foundation of the cabin when I got a notification that someone invited me to a party. Shit…Shit, shit, shit. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to be rude, so I accepted the party invite.

 _WolfxMan91 has joined the party_

" _Dude, the fuck you playing Minecraft for?" – Sexy00Beast_

" _Uh…" – WolfxMan91_

 _PixyDust92 has joined the party "Hey guys, what's going on?."_

" _Not much, just trying to get Jake here to explain why he's playing Minecraft." –Sexy00Beast_

 _JasperxWhitlock has joined the party "Alice, I asked you to wait for me!"_

" _You were being to slow honey." –PixyDust92_

 _XRosebushX has joined the party "I swear to God, you guys can't go a DAY without video games."_

" _Says the women who just logged on." Sexy00Beast_

" _Better watch it dude, remember the last time you pissed Rose off? You complained for week how you weren't getting any." – JasperxWhitlock_

" _Oh shit, sorry babe." Sexy00Beast_

 _xxPianoManxx has joined the party "Morning guys. Hold the fuck up, Jake's playing Minecraft?"_

What was with these people?! What's so wrong with playing Minecraft?

" _He's being quiet today man, maybe he's too embarrassed at being caught playing a sissy game." –_ Sexy00Beast

I was starting to get upset. I could feel the heat rising in my face.

" _Just because you lack the imagination to play, don't go dogging a game that is challenging." WolfxMan91_

There were a few snickers heard.

" _Whatever man, anyway, it's Iron Bananas in Destiny this week, you in our fire team or what?" Sexy00Beast_

Crap, I didn't know how to play that game.

" _Ooh, yay! I totally forgot about iron bananas. I still need to get the last few ornaments." PixyDust92_

" _Guys, we have 6 people, we should do a raid." XRosebushX_

There was a collective groan throughout the group.

" _Oh come on, it's been a while."_ _XRosebushX_

" _I don't have enough time to do a raid today, sorry" xxPianoManxx_

" _I think I'm just going to stick with what I'm doing right now" WolfxMan91_

" _Yo Jake, are you sick or something?" JasperxWhitlock_

" _Uhh, no?" WolfxMan91_

" _You sound like a squeaker today man." JasperxWhitlock_

Asqueaker? What was that supposed to mean?

" _Sorry?" WolfxMan91_

" _Well, I'm going to play a few games of iron banner before I have to leave for work. I'm sending a party invite to those who want play." xxPianoManxx_

 _*xxPianoManxx Invited you to play Destiny*_

I ignored it and continued to build my cabin. It was coming along rather nicely. I had the foundation done and started working on the walls. All the while I was just listening to these new people bicker and fight about their game. From what I've gathered so far, iron banner was some sort of player vs. player game. There was a lot of yelling about how capturing points was more important than kills. There was a lot of cursing and raging coming from the guys. It was funny when one of the girls' characters died, they would yell "Awe, crap." Every once in a while I would hear, "Yeah okay, cause you can snipe through a wall." Or "What the fuck?! I killed him first! I hate lag." I was very entertained by all of this.

I'm not sure how much time had passed cause I was in the zone and listening to their conversations.

" _Alright guys, that's all I got for today. I need to get ready for work." xxPianoManxx_

" _I gotta be done too. I'm starting to get a headache." XRosebushX has left the party_

" _Alice and I need to go as well. We're going out for dinner with her parents tonight." JasperxWhitlock_

" _What!? Of course you guys go out on my night to work." xxPianoManxx_

" _Sorry Ed, it was mom and dad's idea." PixyDust92_

" _Sure it was, and I told you, don't call me Ed. Talk to you later Jake." xxPianoManxx has left the party_

" _See ya Jake." PixyDust92 has left the party_

 _JasperxWhitlock has left the party_

" _I gotta go to, talk to you later man." Sexy00Beast has left the party_

And just like that I was by myself again. Jake had some funny friends. I found myself missing their chatter as I finished up the roof on my cabin. A bit later my phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hey sis, I'm on my way home."

"Already?"

"What do you mean already, it's almost 5:30"

What? It was? I took my phone away and sure enough, it was 5:26pm.

"Oh, okay. I'll see you in a bit then."

"What the hell have you been doing to lose track of time."

"Playing games." I say sheepishly

There was a moment of silence before he burst out laughing.

"Shut up Jake."

"Sorry, sorry. I just never thought I would see the day my sister gets that into video games. What did you play?"

"I'm playing Minecraft." I said while saving my game.

"Oh god…" he groaned. "Did uh, did anyone notice?"

"Hmm, well if by anyone you mean some of your friends, then yes, they noticed. What's their beef against it? Oh and what's a squeaker?"

"Fuck, well whatever. I can't remember why the guys don't like it. What's a squeaker you ask? It's what we call little kids that join our party. Why?"

"Oh, well…I joined a party and one of the people mentioned that I sounded like a squeaker. They thought you might be sick or something."

"Wait, wait, wait." He paused, "You joined a party as me? Lord help me. I'm never going to hear the end of it when I talk to them next." I could hear the dismay in his voice.

"Sorry." Not really.

"It's whatever I guess. Hey have you started making dinner yet? I'm starving."

"Not yet, we just established that I was playing games all day."

"Crap, I forgot. Well, I will be home in a half hour or so."

"Kk, I will get something started."

"Thanks Bells, see you soon."

"See you soon." I hung up and put my phone in my pocket. After shutting off the Xbox and TV I walked into the kitchen and looked in the fridge for something I could make for dinner. Only to be met with a near empty fridge. Looking in the cupboards only made me sadder. He needed to go grocery shopping and soon.

There was a pound of burger in the fridge and a box of spaghetti in the pantry so I grabbed a skillet out of the bottom cupboard and started cooking the meat then grabbed a pot and filled it with water. After putting the water on medium/high heat to get it to boil faster I grabbed some seasoning to put on the burger. This wouldn't be the fanciest of meals but he would have to deal.

When the water started boiling I grabbed a handful of the noodles and snapped them in half before adding them to the water. The burger was done so I turned it on low and put a lid over it to keep it warm. While waiting for the noodles to get done I searched for some pasta sauce. I searched high and low until I finally found a jar of marinara sauce. Its expiration date was still a few months away so it should be fine.

Just as I was draining the noodles, I heard Jake's truck, and then a bark. I dumped the rest of the noodles into the strainer then dashed to the door. Jake was holding his door open and the cutest black lab jumped out.

"Awww!" I said in a high pitched voice. The dog hearing me, turned and ran towards me. She started jumping up trying to lick my face.

"No Izzy, get down!" Jake yelled and stomped over to us.

Kneeling down I let her give me kisses. "What a good girl, yes you are!"

"Please don't teach her it's okay to lick people's faces. That's gross and not everyone appreciates it."

I gave her a scratch behind her ears and she started moaning. I laughed. "How old is she?"

"She's still a puppy, turned 10 months last week."

I gave Izzy one more pat before standing back up. "Where did she stay while you were at mom and dad's?"

He scratched the back of his head, "Over at Rebekka's."

"The same 'Just a friend' Rebekka you were telling me about on the way here?"

"Uh, yeah. That would be her."

"Where does she live? You were gone for a while." I asked while walking back into the house. Izzy following me the whole way.

"Port Angeles." He said then plopped down on the couch. Izzy looked from me to him, sneezed, then back to me. I leaned down and gave her head a pat. She gave me a few kisses before I took my hand away and walked back to the kitchen, her following me the whole way.

"Traitor!" I heard Jake yell.

I smiled and told Izzy she was a good girl, she wagged her tail a couple times before sitting at my feet.

I finished putting everything together and told Jake it was time to eat.

"Smells good." He said taking a seat at the table.

"Thanks, I didn't have much to work with." I said pointedly.

"Hey, I've been gone for a month, cut me some slack. If you want we can go to the local grocery store tomorrow and you can help me shop."

"Sure, it's not like I have anything better to do." I agreed.

We ate in silence for a while. Then he started asking about who I talked to in the party today.

"Um, I don't know if I can remember their names exactly but there was sexy beast, rosebush, pixydust, Jasper, and pianoman." I said counting on my fingers.

Jake groaned then smiled, "Sexy beast is one of my best friends, his real name is Emmett. He's been offline for a while but he texts me now and again. He must be visiting his parents if he got online. I'll have to hang out with him while he's here. Rosebush is his girlfriend, her name is Rosalie but we just call her Rose. Pixydust is Alice, Jasper is her husband and Pianoman is Alice's younger brother Ed."

Emmett and Rose sounded very familiar but I couldn't remember why.

"He said he didn't like to be called Ed." I pointed out.

Jake laughed, "I know, that's why we do it. He's the youngest in our little group. Actually I think he's 23, same age as you." Jake rubbed the back of his neck and stretched, "Well," He said getting up from the table. "We might as well set you up with your own account. I have a feeling you might be spending some quality time right there on that couch staring at a screen."

I perked up, "Really?"

"Sure, sure. But while I'm getting everything set up, try to come up with a gamer tag for yourself. "

"Can't it just be Bella?" I asked following him back to the living room.

Jake snorted, "Funny, something that original is more than likely already taken. You're going to have to be more creative than that."

I huffed and plopped down on the couch beside him. Izzy came over to lie down at my feet. I didn't know the first thing about creative user names. I quickly took out my phone and googled girl gamer tags. I sighed in frustration. These names were not helpful,

XxGlitterGirlXx

0

LadyKiller

MidnightM00nSparkels

I rubbed my face, no…just no.

"Having trouble?" Jake asked.

I groaned, "Yeah."

He chuckled, "Want to see what automatic names come up?"

I looked at him in frustration, "That was an option this whole time?"

He ruffled my hair, "Yeah, I just wanted to see if you had any ideas before mentioning it."

I swatted his hand away, "Yes please. I can't think of anything and Google is of no help."

We sat there for a good ten minutes arguing about what a good gamer tag was. None of the tags that were premade held any interest for me. However I was starting to come up with one on my own. I reached over and took the controller from Jake.

"I'm good, I know what I want to use."

Jake looked at me, confused. "Well? What did you come up with."

I didn't say anything, instead I typed in the box, ScarredSwan. Unfortunately that was already taken so I had to improvise a little bit. xxScarredSwanxx was available so that's what a chose.

Jake bumped my shoulder, "Going for dark and mysterious huh?"

I just shrugged. With my gamer tag chosen, he next showed me how to personalize my home screen. I decided to go with a purple background. He then helped me make an avatar. I spent a good fifteen minutes on her, trying to make it look as close to me as possible. Then we finished with me looking for a profile picture. I went with the cute panda.

By the time we were done, Izzy was starting to prance around the room and whine.

"Shit, she probably needs to go outside." Jake mumbled.

"I'll take her, come on Izzy. Let's go outside." I got up and walked past the kitchen and opened up the back door. Izzy bolted passed me, almost knocking me over.

I sat on the porch step and watched her run around the back yard, eventually squatting to pee. Today had been a good one. I smiled, feeling glad that I decided to stay with Jake.

"Now there's something I haven't seen in a while." Jake said looking down at me.

"What?" I looked around the yard thinking maybe an animal had wandered to close to the house.

"It's just good to see you have a genuine smile."

I rolled my eyes, "Thanks, I think."

We stayed there in silence, watching Izzy frolic in the yard. The breeze was making the leaves rustle in the woods, it was a soothing sound. When Izzy came back and started licking my face, we took her back inside and Jake fed her. I cleared the table from dinner and put the dirty dishes in the dish washer while Jake put the leftover spaghetti in a Tupperware dish and placed it in the fridge for later.

"So… I was wondering if we could go to Port Angeles tomorrow?" I said leaning against the counter.

"What for?" Jake asked.

"Well, I need to go shopping for clothes, and get a few other feminine type things."

Jake looked confused, "Feminine things?"

I sighed, "Unless you have tampons hiding in a cupboard somewhere yes, feminine things."

Jake blushed, "Oh, gotcha. Gross."

"Get over it, so can we?"

"Yeah, sure. We can stop at the grocery market on the way back. What time do you want to go?"

I thought about it for a minute, "Um, could we go after breakfast? I don't want to be out all day."

"Yeah, sounds fine. Izzy is house trained so as long as we are only gone for a few hours she will be fine."

"Cool, want to watch a movie tonight?"

"Sure, want some popcorn?" He asked reaching into the pantry and grabbing a bag.

"Yeah, I'll eat some. I'm going to go put my pajamas on." I said and walked away to go upstairs. I had unpacked most of my clothes when I got here but my sweat pants and t-shirts were still in my bag. I grabbed my favorite pair of holey sweats and put on an oversized plain gray t-shirt. I made my way back downstairs and Jake was already sitting on the couch eating away at the popcorn.

"Jeez, ya pig. Save some for me." I said and grabbed a handful of popcorn while sitting down next to him.

"Shut it pint size. What did you want to watch?" He asked opening up Netflix.

I yawned, "Doesn't really matter."

"You say that now." He mumbled.

We finally decided to watch How to Train your Dragon. Jake got up and grabbed a blanket and unceremoniously threw it in my direction. I dropped what little popcorn I had to try and catch it. The blanket opened up a bit and covered my head.

I grabbed it and pulled it down over my face, puffing to get my hair out of my face. Izzy was enjoying the popcorn that landed on the floor.

"Thanks so much." I deadpanned.

"Yup, now be quiet so we can watch this movie."

"Jerk." I grabbed the bowl from his hand. He started to protest but I gave him a glare and he shut up.

About halfway through the movie, Izzy had jumped up between us and rested her head in my lap. Her tail kept wagging in Jakes face making me giggle. After a while her warmth on top of the blanket was making me drowsy, and eventually I feel asleep.

"Bella, wake up. The movie's over." Jake said while gently shaking my shoulder.

"Hmm? M'kay." I yawned and gently moved the dog and blanket off my lap. I shuffled upstairs and crawled into bed. Jake was standing in the doorway when Izzy jumped up and lied down at the foot of my bed.

Jake sighed, "I normally don't let her sleep on the bed."

"Oh." I looked from him to the sleeping puppy and back to him. "Please?"

"Ugh, fine. Only your bed though. I don't want mine to smell like dog." He waved it off, "Goodnight Bells."

"G'night, see you in the morning."

With that, he shut my door most of the way and I snuggled deeper into my sheets. With a final glance at Izzy, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

 _Reviews are always appreciated,_

 _Constructive criticism is welcome_

 _Until next time *waves*_


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